Now, we know this is a newsletter on Indian sport but we had to make an exception for Shane Warneโs passing last week. Itโs unfathomable that a man who epitomised life is no longer with us.
There was a bit of Warnie in all of us. Thereโs a bit of us that died with him.
- Shubi
I donโt recall the number of wickets he took in his career but I remember how my friends and I would huddle around a laptop and watch YouTube compilations of his best dismissals.ย
I donโt know what his record in India was but I remember how all the leg-spinners at my cricket academy in Bangalore wanted to be him.ย
I wasnโt born when he bowled the ball of the century but I remember being floored by his genius when he replicated the delivery in a broadcast studio.ย
Iโm unaware of his duels with the best batters in the world but I remember how my aunt, who worked in hospitality, laughed as she described his run-ins with the housekeeping staff.ย
I have to jog my memory on his rivalry with Sachin but I remember the awe with which my father described them.ย
Iโm ignorant about the comparisons with Murali but I remember how my physics tutor used the two of them as examples to explain angular velocity and rotational force.ย
I never did a deep dive into his numbers but I remember the central position his autobiography occupied in the bookshelf at home.ย
I canโt tell you what his greatest performance was but I remember how he gave the rockstars of tomorrow a stage.
I didnโt closely follow the IPL but I remember being smitten by his story and glory with Rajasthan.ย
I donโt remember what Shane Warne did in his career but I remember how he made me and those around me feel.ย
Itโs something Iโll never forget.
This video of Ponting paying tribute to Warne is absolutely devastating. Keep some tissues handy.
Shoutout to the winners from last weekโs quiz: Shinod BM, Anshuman Patro, K. R. Mahaadevan
Congrats guys!
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